DAILY DEVOTIONAL - DAY 6 of 21 DAYS FAST TOPIC: What Fellowship Really Means TEXT: MEMORY VERSE: “What we have seen and heard we declare to you, so that you and we together may share in a common life, that life which we share with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:3 MESSAGE: The word “fellowship” in recent times has been so watered down that it has become synonymous with a gathering or a form of religious activity. Looking at God’s original intention, it was initiated to enhance communication as well as companionship. Most importantly it was devised to define identity. Which explains why man hid from God after the fall (he could no longer identify with God), he could no longer communicate or see Him as a friend. In the New Testament, however, specifically in Acts 2:42, we read that one of the four things the early church devoted itself to was “fellowship.” So how should we view fellowship and why should we be devoted to fellowship? When we gather in the name of Jesus for any reason worthy of that Name, the bible tells us that God is also there (Matt 18.20). That means God approves of believers coming together because, they have a unifying purpose, share common interests, goals, have similar attributes (behavior and outlook) and most importantly care for one another. In another vein it identifies us as members of a local assembly. There are three key ideas that come out of this: (1) Fellowship means being a part of a group, a body of people. It is opposed to any manifestation of individualism or focus on an individual; it does not just stop there because we are to identify with one another by way of recognizing and imbibing common values. (2) Fellowship means having or sharing with others certain things in common such as interests, goals, feelings, beliefs, activities, privileges and responsibilities, as well as experiences, and concerns. So it must be a platform for godly interaction. (3) Fellowship can mean a partnership that involves working together and caring for one another as members of a family. So we look after the other person’s welfare, protect one another’s interest, and ensure that the impact of such partnership is beneficial to all. So as we fellowship with God and fellow brethren may our identity be affirmed and association enhance our spiritual, emotional and intelligence and make remarkable progress. PRAYER: Dear Lord as we have chosen to identify with you may we become conscious that we are the body of Christ and individually members of its body, IJN, Amen. CONFESSION: As we gather in the name of Jesus, we shall agree on a matter, and there shall be no divisions among us, but unity in mind and the same judgement. FURTHER READING: Hebrews 10 vs 24 & 25
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 03:00:00 +0000
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